Taming Dragons
by Nightcat711
Summary: Raine has always been and always will be a black sheep among white ones. She didn't fit in at Beauxbatons, she is slacking in her career and now she's trying to escape from her personal issues by going to Rumania. Will it take a certain dragon keeper to get her back on track or will his presence only drag her down deeper due to her history with the Weasleys?
1. Somewhere Far Away

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter, regrettably.

**Author's Note: **So here it goes, my second Harry Potter fanfic. It's going to be an alternating point of view between my main character and Charlie, just so that no one gets confused or something. I'm not sure how this is going to develop yet, I've got a few scenes in my head but other than that I'm working on another story at the same time so I might be slacking. This one will include a song in the title that inspired me in some way or reminded me of something in the chapter. Last but not least, why the hell so I keep failing the security code? I can't be the only one, right? :D **Happy reading**, everyone! **Thank you**!

* * *

**1 – Somewhere Far Away**

_Walking Dead – Papa Roach_

Why was I always such an idiot? I buried my head in my hands, letting my light brown hair flow around my face to hide my anguish from my fellow train passengers. To them it must look as though I was sleeping when I was actually tormenting myself internally for being such an arse. I knew perfectly well that I was exaggerating but I needed this at the moment after all I had put myself through.

I had done what anyone could tell you was absolutely wrong and would only get you into trouble but it couldn't be helped, I had fallen for my friend's boyfriend. It hadn't even felt like a desperate attempt since we got along perfectly, so flawlessly that I had been entirely sure that Bill Weasley was the one for me but I had been wrong, naturally.

Fleur had been one of my only friends at Beauxbatons Academy of Magic since I hated the hypocrisy and superficial manner of most of the French women but we hadn't been close enough for her to notice my predicament.

When Fleur had first met him, I had been confident that nothing would come of it but then they were suddenly engaged, married and awaiting a child. It had all gone by so quickly and I hadn't really taken the relationship serious but the war had distracted me from the obvious signs. They stood together and their relationship was strengthened by the stresses and strains. The world didn't tumble down upon them because they had something to go home to, someone that awaited them and lifted the burden off their shoulders when they needed a moment to breathe.

I knew this exactly because I had been a guest in their safe house for several weeks but the harmony between them made the residence at their home for of torture than a relief. But the times had made me grateful for any help, especially after the death of my younger brother in the battle of Hogwarts.

* * *

It was a common fact that many great wizards had been lost in the fight but that was no condolence to me. My hand flew to the oval amulet around my neck that was currently covered by the rough material of the sweater I was still wearing that did not match the weather around me at all. I pulled it out with careful fingers and flipped it open, talking in my dear brother's calm features and sandy brown hair that was a nuance lighter than mine.

A fierce grin was on my face in the picture and I couldn't help but feel sad about it since I couldn't remember when I had last worn such a smile. It had been a cold winter's day Finland, where he and I had searched for the Scandinavian Freezescales, a particularly rare kind of dragon, and the photo had been taken after we had finally caught sight of a pair of the elegant beings.

Our cheeks were flushed due to excitement and the cold environment, the thick, red wool tuque on my head was proof enough that it had been freezing. Joel's arm was wrapped around my shoulders and his chin rested on my shoulder contently. My throat felt constricted and my heart heavy when I saw his expression because I would never see it again.

The expedition had been a real turning point in my life since the research that I published earned me international respect in the scene and I had a certain reputation exceeding me that I would do anything for new knowledge about my favorite creatures, I was reckless. But I had lost my drive after his death because I lost not only my brother but my best teammate.

We had always been a great team with him loving the excitement of the chase and motivated me to go on even when I was about to give up while I was thrilled by each new discovery we made. My life had been an adventure with him and now I only ever tried touring the wild once, failing miserably. It wasn't the same without him and it sucked to be accompanied by some fame seeking leech that only stuck around you to be mentioned in a footnote of my next great piece of work. Thanks, but no thanks.

* * *

A year after the war, I felt like I had lost everything. The love for my job, the familiarity of a family bond that was severed by our great loss and my chance at happiness with the one man that I just couldn't fall out of love with.

So with a heavy heart I agreed to allowing myself a new start when my presence was requested at a dragon camp in Rumania where I was now heading. A study about Rumanian Longhorns and their social behavior was supposed to rehabilitate me among my research colleagues but I didn't believe in the project just yet. It all seemed like a futile attempt of my producer to finally get a decent book out of me so that the investment into my so called talent was worthwhile.

I looked down upon my brother's face resting in my cool palm and wondered how he would react if he could see me now. I bet he would be harshly disappointed and my heart sank when his last pained expression came to my mind again. His body had been buried under a pile of rubble but deep magically inflicted gashes upon his chest were the reason why he hadn't been breathing anymore and his blood smeared face still haunted me at times.

But it had been his choice to participate in the battle and I knew that I couldn't have kept him from it even if I had tried to. Naturally, I hadn't tried to persuade him to stay away from that horrible event because I hadn't been disinclined to go there but now I wished that I had been more reasonable.

With a deep sigh I stripped out of the sweater I wore, causing my pendant to swing against my waist on its long silver necklace. I glanced around to make sure that I was going unnoticed when I stuffed my sweater into my magically enlarged knapsack. After getting rid of the warm clothing, I visibly relaxed into the cushioned seat I was sitting in, dressed only in dark green shorts that reached down half of my thighs and a simple cream top that was edged with lace on the top, adorning my décolleté.

A young man was staring at me and I stared back at him intensely until he could no longer hold my gaze and turned away his pestering glance. I knew that I could look quite threatening with my dark eyes that were such a deep brown that they were almost black and only when the sun shone into my eyes did one see the fine difference. They stood out in stark contrast to my porcelain skin that was slightly freckled around the area of my nose. Joel had always said that I looked when I turned my angry gaze on him that I looked so unfathomable that even the Dark Lord himself would waver under my gaze but I highly doubted that I was that intimidating.

* * *

My patience was wearing thin as the train ride seemed to lengthen rather than shorten and I regretted the decision to not apparate to my new working place. I had initiated the habit of taking muggle means of transportation to locations that were unknown to me because I felt insecure about apparating someplace I didn't know, where a muggle might see me or I could have an accident by apparating into someone so I spared myself the anxiety of such an occurrence and got to know the country in a normal manner. My nerves were running thin either way and I wouldn't have been able to concentrate on working magic at the moment.

I made good use of the time and pulled out a letter that I had now read at least ten times during my journey, interpreting each line of it until it didn't make any sense at all anymore because reading between the lines was impossible when there was nothing written there.

_Dearest Raine,_

_I can't believe that you're leaving but if you're experience in a new country is like mine in Egypt then it's going to be extraordinary and you're going to love it. I'm sure that you can accomplish anything that you wish for and hopefully you'll find some inspiration. Be sure to write me and tell you how you're doing or I'm going to have to hunt you down wherever you are by now. If my good old owl can find you, than so can I. Hopefully._

_Life is going about as usual here at Shell Cottage. Fleur is raging around the house like one a dragon in preparation for Victoire, who we are soon expecting. She seems more like my mother day after day but don't tell her I said this since she would kill me if she knew, but it's true._

_But I guess that's what it does to you when you are becoming a parent. I desperately miss our late night conversations, you always made me feel like I couldn't do anything wrong but now I'm not so sure. They say you're never actually ready to be a father but I don't want to be unprepared when the situation arises. I'm sure you understand, you always do._

_Fleur wishes you all the best at your new location with kisses and all her love, well you know her._

_Come around soon._

_Sincerely,_

_Bill_

I traced the lines of his handwriting, imagining what he might have looked like when he wrote this. His elbow leaned on his desk with his one hand cradling his face while the other wrote down thoughtfully whatever came to his mind. There would be a strand of reddish hair escaping his sleek, long ponytail and would dangle into his face, causing him to occasionally flip his head unconsciously to get it out of his way.

My daydream was ruined when Fleur invaded it, throwing her arms around him exuberantly, bugging him into showing him what he was doing and sending me her regards jubilantly, unknowing of what it made me feel like. But then again even I didn't know what her ignorance of my feelings for her husband made me feel like, a bit of everything actually. Relief, anger, hope, disbelief, betrayal. It didn't matter anyway because I had decided long ago that I would never tell her about the fact that I was smitten with Bill.

Since I hadn't gotten immune to his charm I would just stay away from him from now on, hoping that this would diminish my churning feelings for him. I hadn't even told me where I was going because I simply didn't want him to know. Then I could or could not see him on my own terms. It would be my own decision and he couldn't just surprise me with any sudden appearances, possibly forcing me to stay in love with him for the rest of my life.

Rereading his letter, a passage caught my eye this time that I must have not read very thoroughly because I could definitely find a hint of regret or bitterness in his words. I wondered if he blamed Fleur for ending his career in Egypt, it sounded like he had very much enjoyed his work there and it had to be more challenging than working at Gringotts.

I know that I would have never forced him into making such a fatal decision because thanks to apparating it was very much possible to lead a long-distance relationship without any distance at all. Thanks to my own adventurous being I would have never denied him the longing to see different countries because I did it myself. Hope swelled in my chest involuntarily and I fought it down with all my might because I felt like a silly girl whenever Bill crossed my mind. He might be three years my elder but he had never treated me like a minor, maybe because his own wife was just as young as well but my body always felt as light as a feather when he stood before me. I despised being out of control but with him it was alright because I knew that he would never use me.

Here I was again, whitewashing my insufferable crush on him and I knew that I had to stop but I just couldn't stop. I desperately hoped that being in a remote place, without a certain redhead bouncing around me without knowing what damage he did in the process, would help me get over him soon.

* * *

With a loud squeaking sound the train came to a halt and I was startled out of my reverie when I noticed that this was my stop. I got out hectically, almost forgetting to grab my bag in the hassle and smoothed out my hair when I was outside in the stuffy but still fresh air. The sun beat down on me without mercy and I wished that I was back in Finland with my brother but I knew that it wasn't possible and I was only delaying myself so with another deep sigh I made my way to the magical town that edged close to the camp that I was heading for with my bag slung across my shoulder carelessly.

When I was on the fray of all civilization close to the train station, I rummaged in my bag to find my wand and used a disillusionment charm so that I could fly the rest of the way on my broom. Mounting my Nimbus 2000 was already a great relief and the gush of wind that met me when I kicked off made me feel so much more alive again.

I flew several rounds in the sky to work out the cramps in my legs that had been induced by the long sitting times and felt a wave of dismal disenchantment wash through me when I saw how empty the close surroundings were. I really felt like I was fleeing to some kind of refuge now and couldn't stop myself from sighing for what felt like the thousandth time today. With my luck, there would most likely be even more of it to follow.


	2. Newbie

**2 – Newbie **

_Diamond on a Landmine – Billy Talent_

The day started out like any other with a dull aching in the back of my head from last night and a messy batch of hair that was in dire need of a trim. My mother would probably be reminded of Bill if she could see me now and everyone knew that she would love to cut his hair in his sleep or something but my only older brother knew how to protect himself from our mother's love.

But then again my mother had influence on each every one of her children and a letter had arrived for me in which she requested or more like demanded my presence at Christmas. No need to say that it was July currently and I would naturally be home for the Christmas holidays if I could manage but it would be futile to explain that to her.

Just as useless as it would be to explain to Jared that he was standing too close to the Norwegian Ridgeback because he would only listen when it was already too late. The dragon lashed out with its horned tail, swirling around in a swift motion that would have seemed impossible to anyone who didn't know much about dragons since Norberta was quite the bulk of a dragon.

But Jared wouldn't be Jared if he couldn't jump to the side at the last second, laughing to himself in disbelief. I wondered how many times he would still pull it off until he was finally damaged fatally with a bit more than burn marks.

* * *

I might have thought that this was a simple day, one like any other, but even I wasn't deaf to the rumors that were coursing around the camp about a new member of our team. This was no freshman in the handling of dragons, this person was something like a legend in our scene. Or rather she was a legend among her colleagues.

"I heard she spent months in the most bitter frost to catch a glimpse of the Freezescales."

"She must be pretty hot to withstand those temperatures."

"More like an ice block, I suppose. She is a real workaholic."

"Aren't we all? I'm not so sure about that, she hasn't published a decent piece of work since the war."

"Her brother was killed…"

"Yeah, or maybe she just wasn't as good as everyone thought. Even a blind dragon can light a match."

"Well, her last name is a heavy burden as well."

I frowned at all the loose statements that were being thrown around nervously as we waited for our newest arrival but we were all taken aback when an even but melodic voice called sarcastically to us from behind. "You might as well ask me personally if you're oh so interested in my work." We turned to look at the woman that was leaning onto the handle of her broom with a calm expression gracing her delicate features.

Her bottomless, nearly black eyes paired with her rigid posture spoke of restricted anger and I could understand her barely contained frustration. It sucked to be judged before you had actually arrived. But there was something else that made it hard to take one's eyes off of her, her scars. The entire left side of her body was adorned with burn scars or rather one scar I assumed, starting from her neck, covering her arm, her side and snaking its way down to her knee. Many people would have been disfigured by such a scar but to me it seemed like it completed her fierce appearance or the contrast between her pale, smooth skin and the scarred sections of her body at least did something to make her appearance enthralling and unforgettable.

The burn scars were like nothing I had ever seen before with a purplish hue to them that made them seem more like bruises than anything else. "Black!" The chief dragon keeper, Adrian, barked, turning a stern eye onto the new arrival who only eyed him skeptically before the hint of a smirk came across her face and to my great surprise a wide grin spread on the face of our supervisor who I had never seen this pleased to see someone in the whole time that I was here.

"Adrian, It's wonderful to see you but your co-workers seem to think otherwise." She said formally but embraced him back when he lifted her and twirled her around jubilantly.

"There not as well mannered as you." He agreed with her and let her down, mustering her face and giving her an overall up and down before he decided, softly. "You've looked better. Well, we'll put you to work and see how it goes. If any of the bastards here get on your nerves, you'll be the first to tell me, right?"

"Maybe, if I don't just deal with them myself." She said with a lopsided grin which turned into a polite curve of her well defined lips. "How is your wife?"

"Fine, fine. She'll be thrilled to see you again. Perhaps for dinner sometime?" He suggested, taking her broom and bag gallantly to store them in the tent he had let us set up for her.

She shrugged and assured him. "Well, I have nowhere to run. Thank you, Ade." She added with a wave towards her things but he just nodded pleasantly, waving it off like it was nothing when in truth he would have never done something similar for anyone else.

My eyes swept down her body involuntarily since her left side was turned to us, it was hard to ignore the athletic build of her body that was completed with the right amount of curves. I wondered whether she had someone waiting for her but was snapped out of my reverie when my name was called. "Charlie! You will treat Miss Black as a guest for the day and lead her around. The rest of you get back to work."

"Yes, sir." I agreed, taking my place next to her and controlling myself deeply to stop staring at her like all the others were doing, still standing there immobile before they broke out of their trance and scattered, going back to their routine like nothing had happened. I realized why Adrian had chosen me for this job of sorts because I had been the only one to not gossip about her behind her back and I wasn't looking at her like she was some oddity.

When Adrian had moved away from us as well she turned her head around to take a good look at me. She had been deep in thought but now her eyes only widened when her gaze flitted to my hair and for a moment I was sure that it was in total disarray but when her eyes narrowed I was confused. It had to be something else. "Not another one." I thought I heard her utter in frustration but I couldn't be sure and I wasn't going to be quick to judge her since it was her first day. It must be quite the strain on her to be the new woman in the camp, especially since most of the caretakers here were male and would give her a hard time in many ways.

* * *

"So…" I started, casting a quick glance at her profile as she fell in step next to me and craned my neck into the direction that I first wanted to lead her to. "You came here via broom? That's quite a long flight." I offered her gently but her taut facial expression made me feel like I said something wrong. Her jaw clenched and unclenched before she finally answered me reluctantly.

"Came by train, flew here from the station." She replied coolly, staring straight ahead of her instead of looking at me, her conversational partner. I frowned at the façade that she was showing me and decided that maybe she really was rude and there was nothing to misjudge. But she somehow reminded me of my father since she seemed to be accustomed to muggle means of transportation, which would fascinate my father. Her next words surprised me and even more startled was I by the sly smile that graced her lips. "You're a Weasley, aren't you?"

An involuntary grin stretched across my face at her mischievous remark. "Well, since you already know my name then you probably won't mind telling me yours first." She chuckled cautiously but obviously felt a bit uncomfortable introducing herself.

"Raine Cyrielle Black." She finally admitted with a frown and I was reminded of Sirius, another member of the infamous family Black.

I breathed out heavily and gave her a reassuring smile. "You're the second black I've met now, unless you count a very annoying portrait of one of your ancestors and I'm pretty sure that the man I met was one of the greatest men I ever had the pleasure to meet. I'm Charlie, by the way."

"Well, it's nice to meet you. I guess you can travel to the end of the world and would still never be able to escape the siblings of that redheaded family. Your brother, Bill, is married to a friend of mine." She said solemnly with her gaze turned to the ground.

"So he stole Fleur away from you." I said with a laugh, causing her to look up in surprise and I presumed that I was right and she had some ill feelings left for my brother. "How did you get to know her?"

She shook her head as if to chase away a bad dream and when she looked at me her eyes were still of a haunted, haunting quality that made it impossible to look away. The pit of my stomach felt warm and the tingling sensation that spread through my entire body was pleasant and scary at the same time. What the hell were those black orbs doing with me? Her face visibly relaxed as she told me a bit of her story. "My father didn't want to have anything to do with the rest of the family." She said uncomfortably and I nodded encouragingly, biding her to go on. "He fell for a muggle, which was of course unacceptable among my family, and when she was highly pregnant with me they moved to France because my mother could no longer take the stress and emotional baggage connected to my family." She said sardonically, grimacing at her words as if they hurt her.

"Sounds understandable?" I suggested mildly but when her face twisted further into an angry frown I knew that it might be plausible to me but that it wasn't the last bit of the story.

"The part that's not understandable…" She sneered, her hands balled to fists at her side. "… is that you leave your child right after you give birth to her. But then again maybe it was for the best." She said with a sad smile and I admired her for the way she had come to terms with her runaway mother.

"I don't think it can ever be for the best when a mother leaves her child. It's unnatural." I grumbled angrily, staring off into the distance. Family meant a lot to me, maybe I wasn't always close to my own family but I would always be there for them no matter what and I could never imagine abandoning my own child although I was far from planning my own offspring with no woman to raise them with.

"Maybe." She complied with a gently smile, something that might be a rare occasion with how she had acted up until now. But then again, if it was really true that she had lost a brother then I could understand that she didn't feel like smiling. I didn't even want to think about what pain it still caused me that Fred would never be able to visit me here in Rumania. He probably would have been thrilled by the crazy ingredients he could gather here for the joke shop more than by the dragons or the landscape. His other twin, George, could no longer be enthusiastic about anything since his other half's death so why should I blame this woman before me for not smiling very often? "My father remarried and this time he had no lack of judgment. They gave birth to my wonderful brother and she always took care of me as if I were her own daughter so I guess I got my happy end after all, right?"

"Sounds alright." I said distantly, making a mental note to myself to write a letter to George since I had neglected the most needy one of my siblings in quite a while.

"It was wonderful." She said, absentmindedly playing with a strand of her hair and as we passed the cafeteria I was reminded of the task I had been given.

"So this is the cafeteria and further behind that building there is the storage, which is humongous by the way and if you ever want to find something you'll have to ask Ivan. He is the one who organizes all goods and services." I informed her but I had the feeling that she wasn't actually listening to what I was saying.

"Could we go see the dragons?" She said a bit impatiently but the expectant glee in her eyes was infectious like a child awaiting Christmas Eve and I nodded in agreement , unable to not fulfill her plea. "I'm especially interested in the Rumanian Longhorns." She tacked on cautiously, unsure whether what she was asking was a bit too much for her first day.

"Sure can do. So that's your next study project?" I asked, wanting to keep the conversation going because I was beginning to really take a liking to this quiet, thoughtful girl. She was so much different from the reckless and brawny men I was surrounded with all day and night, not that I didn't enjoy the men's company that I fit into perfectly since I was far from being a gentleman but her presence was refreshing. Although my mum had raised me to be courteous enough towards the opposite sex, I felt oddly helpless in the presence of this intelligent and exquisitely gorgeous woman. Maybe exactly because I had only been around men the most of my last years.

* * *

We strode across the camp quickly but Raine was oblivious to the attention she was receiving from those working around us. They stared and openly gawked at her, making me feel uncomfortable and ready to strike out at anyone who got too close to her. Yet she was too focused on reaching our destination to even make a hassle out of their impunity.

When we stood before the Rumanian Longhorn that lived on our reserve she was more than a little taken aback by the enormous bulk of the emerald scaled dragon whose magnificent golden horns were infamous. I thought that she was impressed by the bands of muscle that rippled below the surface of the monstrous dragon's skin or that she marveled at the beauty of its scales that reflected the sunlight in tiny rainbows but her mind was occupied by another fact. "One?" She flipped her head into my direction and the intensity of her gaze was frightening like embers were smoldering beneath the surface of those onyx eyes. "Please don't tell me that you only have one Longhorn on the site." She said calmly, massaging her temples with her thumbs.

"I wish I could say otherwise but they are quite rare bests ever since they were hunted down for their horns." I pointed out, feeling the urge to justify my claim.

She closed her eyes tightly and spoke through clenched teeth. "I know, Weasley." She threw her hands up into the air in defeat and murmured more to herself than anyone else. "This just makes my day. How the hell am I supposed to study the social behavior of these beauties with only one being? Let alone under such artificial conditions. Should I watch the poor thing wallow in self-pity and wither in loneliness?" She asked exasperatedly, crossing her arms tightly before her chest. "Damn, I know why I've never worked in these kinds of camps before." She turned her angry gaze to the darkening sky and her expression softened a bit. "I have to talk to Adrian."

She whirled around on the spot and left me standing in front of the Rumanian Longhorn alone and confused, wondering what this new addition to our team would bring down upon us.


End file.
